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Published: July 30th 2008
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Well last night turned into morning, and we didn’t get to sleep until well after midnight. We had to get up by 6:00, be packed and up by 7:00 to fight the traffic from Newark to the Stadium for our tour. There were two groups, we were the second. We didn’t mind getting to have breakfast first though at a little local diner a block away from the stadium. After breakfast we headed over, and the neighborhood really didn’t look much better without all the fans in the street.
The Yankees were very accommodating, and gave us a nice (brief) tour. First we went to monument park and saw all of the retired jerseys and plaques dedicated to past Yankee greats. Yogi Berra, Lou Gehrigh, Babe Ruth, and Joe Dimaggio were just a few. Mom decided she didn’t want to linger in front of Reggie Jackson, and actually forbid me taking a picture of his plaque. (The other day we were watching a video and I (Jill) said “wow! That guy hit three homers in a world series game! Mom just glared “I remember. He did it to us.” -Oops)
Then we walked along the warning trac k ("please do
not touch the grass"), down foul territory to the Yankee Dugout. It was minimal to say the least. This is the Yankees right? All the great players that come out of that dugout can’t even have it fixed up for them? I’m not too tall compared to a professional athlete, but when sitting on the bench, if you stand up to see a drive down the line for example, don’t get up to fast or you nail your head on the ceiling. Just some flimsy padding sits over the cement bench.
Next was on to the press box. Again! This is the Yankees? Why do the reporters that come to “The house that Ruth built” to have to sit on a Jr. High school seat on wheels? And… everything’s just so dirty and icky. It was a fun tour, but we realized that not just the fans have to deal with the crumbling park. I’ll bet everyone’s really excited for the new one (if you disregard the history being left behind). All in all it was an awesome experience. And we are proud to be able to say we have been there, but we were not too impressed outside
of the history.
Five hours later we are in Boston. Wow, we sure are all over the place! Recap: Baltimore to Pittsburgh to Baltimore to Philly to Shea to Yankee Stadium. Now Fenway. This part of the country is really pretty. We passed through Connecticut and Rhode Island before getting to Massachusetts. Green, green, green.
It is hard to even begin to describe the difference in feeling from Yankee Stadium to Fenway. You enter on Yawkey Way. A bustling street filled with Sox Jerseys, lined with shops on the right, and the brick façade of the stadium on the left. It was awesome, the atmosphere is just great. As you walk in through the entrance, remembering that Fenway is the oldest park in baseball (remembering Yankee Stadium) you’re not sure what to expect.
But it is breathtaking. The most amazing place we could imagine to take in a ballgame. The park is spotless! The seats are shiny and look new. The aisles are wide, the areas around the concession lines are surprisingly wide and open for such an old park. It is the smallest stadium in baseball, but it is perfect. Intimate, pristine, original. The score board
is still done manually along the left field wall. The fans are so involved with their team. The music (before the game) is classic. It truly is beautiful.
The green monster was obviously… huge. But it was actually smaller than we had expected. When the left fielder stands there though, it gives a better perspective.
We sang “Sweet Caroline” in the 8th, and it was all I had hoped for. It also helped that we had such a great game to watch. We were rooting for the Angels and the pitcher Lackey, who came just 2 outs shy of a no hitter! So close. Still it was a fast paced game that was very fun to watch. Tomorrow we are excited for our tour of the City and the park tour. And then much to our delight, we have another game to watch. So far it’s safe to say this has been our favorite park. The atmosphere of the park is something that can’t be described, only experienced.
We’re on our way to our hotel, again we get to stay two whole nights! I don’t know how far it is… we’ve been driving quite a while now. (Dad
I love my laptop!)
We heard about the earthquake at home. We talked to most of you, and are glad to know that you all are safe.
We'll let you know how the game goes tomorrow, and then it's on to Cooperstown!
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Aunt Susan
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WOW - HOW COOL!!
It's so fun reading your blogs. I'm thrilled you're having such a wonderful time; can't wait to see all the pictures! Much love, aunt Susan